Zoning Code for 8,400 Blocks – More than One Fifth of the City Excluding Parks – Has Been Updated to Spur Mixed-Income Housing and Commercial Development in Transit-Rich Areas While Protecting Character of Lower-Scale Neighborhoods

“Even in the national economic
downturn, New York City’s population continues to grow,
thanks in large part to the fact that we’ve made the City safer and cleaner than
it’s ever been – and we’ve turned around a broken and dysfunctional school
system, which is helping to keep more middle class families in our City.A growing population helps create jobs,
but it also requires city government to plan for the future – and that’s exactly
what we’ve been doing, by creating new capacity for growth in areas that can
handle it, while also preserving the character of neighborhoods that need
protection from overdevelopment.

“City Planning’s 100 re-zonings have
created a blueprint for sustainable development.Together, they offer new housing and job
opportunities near transit hubs while maintaining the diverse character of
New York City’s
many residential neighborhoods by updating decades-old zoning to protect the
scale of lower density and auto-dependent neighborhoods. The strategy represents
a convergence of PlaNYC – our ambitious sustainability agenda – and our Five
Borough Economic Opportunity Plan – our blueprint to create jobs, develop
affordable, attractive neighborhoods and grow New York City’s economy.Approximately 2.1 million people live in
areas touched by re-zonings, which have been spearheaded by City Planning
Commissioner Amanda Burden and her team, together with the collaboration among a
host of City agencies, including the New York City Economic Development
Corporation and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Their
efforts have produced the largest reimagining of our City’s land-use since
1961.

“Key to the success of the
re-zonings has been the active engagement of communities at every stage of the
planning process. That’s been the case whether we are creating capacity for
major investment and development, as we have in Hudson Yards in Manhattan, the
Lower Concourse in the Bronx; revitalizing existing neighborhoods like Coney
Island or the area around the High Line; or protecting the character of
communities, like Westerleigh in Staten Island, Cambria Heights in Queens or
CarrollGardens in
Brooklyn, the rezoning that was adopted today.

“Many of the benefits of this ambitious planning agenda
will be realized decades from now, but the Department’s 100th re-zoning is a remarkable milestone, and I’m proud
to congratulate City Planning on its extraordinary work thus far, thank the City
Council for its continued partnership and acknowledge the many civic groups,
community boards and elected officials who have each played a vital role in
realizing these important changes. Working together, we’ll continue building a
greener, greater, and stronger future for all New Yorkers and the neighborhoods
we call home.”